What would come to mind if you were asked about sports in Hawaii? You would probably imagine a surfer at Pipeline or Backdoor dropping into a double-overhead left-hander, disappearing into the tube, only to barely escape the collapsing white water by the fins of his surfboard.

Surprisingly, surfing in Hawaii is not the only activity that is extremely common among the masses. Mens’ and womens’ volleyball is just as popular, and the high school programs are a college coach’s recruiting dream.

Fairfield University’s Head Women’s Volleyball Coach, Jeff Werneke, has been recruiting Hawaiian high school athletes for half a decade. Werneke brought the connections he made while coaching at other colleges to Fairfield, and in 2004 the university said aloha to a trio of players that immediately became standouts as Stags and within the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Werneke’s trifecta of recruits in sophomores Ashley Hanohano, Lindsey Lee and Jazmin Pa’akaula proved to be the winning bet.

In their ’04 season at Fairfield, the women’s team achieved a 22-12 record, a complete reversal from a previous ’03 finish of 7-23. This fall’s preseason MAAC poll predicted Fairfield as a first place finisher.

This year, Lee and Pa’akaula serve as co-captains and have led the team on and off the court.

The team also has two other players from Honolulu, Hawaii: Kiana Kauwe ’07, and Brandi Higa ’09.

“I just like the style of play they [Hawaiian players] have, and the experience they bring to the court,” Werneke said. “Many players…start playing volleyball when they are around 10 years old if not before. I would say that volleyball is the most popular sport in Hawaii.”

Pa’akaula even feels that the game is a part of the islands’ culture.

“Back in Hawaii the kids don’t usually get that tall,” she said. “As you can see, the three of us [Hawaian sophomores] are not tall. Because we’re not tall, the coaching style and team mentality is based on defense.”

What first caught Werneke’s attention was the 5-foot-4-inch Lee’s extraordinary jumping ability.

“As I was about to walk out of the gym, out of the corner of my eye I saw this girl jump right out of the gym…and I sat there and watched as she made her 6-foot-2 opponent look foolish” said Werneke.

Pa’akaula feels that coaches are also very attracted to the Hawaiian players’ relentless attitude.

“When we play volleyball, we play from the heart, and volleyball is all that matters,” she said.

Before Fairfield, the three sophomores played together at St. Joseph’s High School in Hilo, Hawaii. Together they brought their team to the state tournament every year, and their efforts marked the school’s first womens’ conference championship in its 137 year history. When the three women were 10 years old, their team won a national championship in the age-12 division.

Ever since that national championship, the three adopted the saying, “The sky’s the limit.”

“After that [the national 12 division championship] we knew that if we wanted something, nothing could hold us back but ourselves. When we say the sky’s the limit, we’re saying that we can do and go anywhere we want if we put our mind and heart in it,” said Hanohano.

In only their first year, Lee was awarded with Rookie of the Year and first-team All-MAAC recognition; Pa’akaula earned second-team All-MAAC and an astounding five MAAC Rookie of the Week awards; Hanohano proved her strength and resilience by playing in all 34 Fairfield contests last year with nine double-doubles (assists/digs).

For Pa’akaula, volleyball is more than just the regular accomplishments of winning MAAC championships and making NCAA appearances, both of which the Stags hope to do this year for the first time since 2001.

“In my future seasons here at Fairfield, I hope to achieve what I joined the sport to do: make memories, meet people, and grow in relationships that I share with my friends, teammates, and coaches,” she said.

The Stags opened the quest for a league title Wednesday night against Marist and play Siena Friday night at Alumni Hall.

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